At 1,630g for our 650b/Boost samples, these 28mm (internal) alloy wheels are significantly lighter than all the carbon wheels of a similar size that we’ve tested, which puts the premium price into perspective. While the 10-degree freehub engagement is slightly slow, acceleration is excellent once the pawls hook up. The 28 straight-pull, double-butted spokes in shallow block flanges give a lively and agile feel that’s still acceptably accurate when you’re really straining them through corners or under braking. They’re still tight, true and undented despite several months of hard trail use, too. The German-made hubs use adjustable bearings behind locked sealing collars, and the only sign of wear so far is slight notching on the freehub body. Tubeless inflation is easy too, although valves and tape aren’t included, which is tight for the price. That shouldn’t put you off if you’re looking for a big XC/ trail responsiveness boost without the higher cost or fragility of carbon.
Price $957